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( First posted in Portuguese, in March 2011, when J. was 5 years old) For my niece, Jessica Long ago when animals used to sp...

Sunday, 26 July 2015

Why do I write?

Reading has always been an essential part of my life, therefore my inspiration must be linked to the desire of
one day having a positive effect on someone, anyone, just as my
favourite authors have had on me. Otherwise, I don't walk
around with a notebook where I jot down feelings or describe
landscapes or random situations - I wish I did! I also wish I
were self-disciplined enough to write on a regular basis. I'm
embarrassed to say that I've been relying on people challenging and
egging me on: 'write a story for someone who's afraid of...' - And I do it, no problem. (cf. http://thoughts-dreams-tales.blogspot.com.es/2015/07/sophia-meets-fireman-oscar.html) I think about the topic, read about the
phobia or whatever the subject is about and I sleep on it. Before
I actually sit down and write something I've already come up with
many possible storylines, scenarios, etc...Next, I write the first
draft on a piece of paper (which I'd never show anyone out of sheer
embarrassment) and which is torn as soon as the text is copied onto a word document; the fear of someone finding and reading
that first draft outweighs the pity felt for the deformed notebook. As I'm typing the text, I'm actually rewriting and
editing the story. Then I make some more changes until reason
tells me it's time to stop. So I stop. In short, once I have a writing topic (or challenge) I
read non-fiction books/articles in some way related to the topic and
rely on the power of thought and, especially, dreams, where I can
have as many takes as I need. Finally, there are some posts that hit a nerve and compel me to write. This comment is actually part of a comment I left on one such post about «inspiration». (http://daniellestejust.blogspot.com.es)

About me:

Born in Mozambique, she grew up in South Africa and has travelled widely, both as a student and a teacher of English as a Foreign Language.
Nasceu em Moçambique, cresceu na África do Sul e tem viajado extensamente, tanto como estudante como professora de Inglês como língua estrangeira.